Wearing upcycled cloth face-coverings to slow down the spread of COVID-19

Zero Waste

21 Apr

Upcycled cloth face-coverings by Alexandra Poetz.

Already before Love Zero Waste became a podcast in cooperation with Circulous, The Good Tribe facilitated upcycling workshops and created upcycling projects, textiles serving as one of our primary materials. Amidst the current COVID-19 crisis our own upcycling expert, Alexandra Poetz has started creating and selling beautiful upcycled cloth face-coverings.

We’ve put together some of the most notable facts and recommendations on wearing cloth face-coverings. This topic is not without controversy.

In many parts of the world governments and other authorities now recommend citizens to wear cloth face-coverings to slow down the spread of COVID-19. This strategy is widely discussed, as there’s no conclusive scientific evidence that the usage of cloth face coverings actually does anything to slow down the spread of the virus.

It seems there are other measures that have a greater impact in slowing down the spread, such as social distancing, isolating people belonging to any risk group, prime hand hygiene and staying home even with mildest symptoms. Moreover, for anybody who’s tried to wear a piece of cloth to cover the nose, mouth and chin for more than a few minutes - it’s tricky. We tend to continuously touch our faces and try to adjust the cloth, contaminating both our hands and the mask.

But here we are. If there’s even the slightest chance a face covering can help slow down the spread of the virus, and authorities are ordering us to wear them whilst in public, at our workplace or in other situations, we all want to help.

The Good Tribe’s and Love Zero Waste’s own upcycling expert Alexandra Poetz has designed a face-covering, which follows the Austrian guidelines and standard for DIY face-coverings (MNS Masken, handgemachte Behelfsmasken). The face-coverings are made of 100% cotton upcycled from jeans and shirt residue, and are washable at 60° C and therefore reusable. The covers are reversible, with one side made out of jeans and the other a plain or patterned fabric. If you’re interested in placing an order, send Alexandra an email. Her upcycled creations are - as always - fabulous!

If you’re wearing a cloth face-covering - make sure you read up on - and practise (!) how to place it on your face and remove it, and wash it in the safest possible way. Furthermore, if you’re not a member of a risk group or your work demands it, it is advisable to stay away from using medical-grade face-coverings and reserve those for e.g. medical professionals since there’s a shortage in supply. Full circle back to buying or creating your own upcycled cloth face-coverings.